27. Supply the required articles, paying special attention to uncount-ftble concrete nouns (names of materials):
j. "I shan't have ... fish," said Robin.
2. Her room smelled of ... soot and ... face powder.
3.... mud was drying rapidly, but ... car was still stuck.
4. James asked for ... water and drank it thirstily.
5.On the travel he drank ... tea, but in the cabin it was ... thick
coffee with ... sugar and ... tinned milk. 6. They found plenty of ... signs of ... deer in ... snow. 7.... men moved heavily as though they were walking in ... thick
mud.
8. They were buying ... new furniture. 9.... equipment from ... wrecked plane has to be saved. 10. She had ... brown shining hair which hung down on either side of her face.
11.Dinner began in ... silence. In ... silence ... soup was finished.
It was ... excellent soup, though a little thick. And ... fish
was brought. Someone said: "It's the first spring day!" "Spring!"
said John. "There isn't ... breath of ... air." No one replied.
... fish was taken away. Then ... maid brought ... champagne. 12. Your design requires ... very expensive equipment. 13 boss took up ... pen, picked ... fly but of ... ink, and shook
it on to ... piece of ... blotting paper. H.Monty and I drank ... beer.
15."I knit them myself," I heard ... woman say,"of ... thick grey wool."
16.She taught ... children to work with ... paper, which could be crumpled up at ... end of ... lesson, with ... plasticine, which could be squeezed back into ... shapeless lumps, with ... bricks and ... stones and ... coloured balls which could be jumbled together again.
17.She stirred ... melting sugar with ... spoon.
18.But John treated me like ... precious china.
19.Father, at ... head of ... table, began to slice ... hot meat.
20. Barber went to ... bar and ordered ... coffee, then changed it to ... brandy because ... coffee wasn't enough after ... talk like that.
Ex. 28. Revision: supply the required articles:
1. It would have been as difficult to think of him being ... master of ... house as it would have been to think of his wife not being ... mistress of it.
2.... landscape was flat and covered with ... snow frozen hard З.Не munched ... sandwich with ... neurotic violence.
This is ... story and not ... piece of ... history.
But I won't have ... cup of ... tea. I'll have ... coffee.
He told himself it was ... stupid case of ... injured pride.
Mrs Peck was ... very young woman who wore ... dirty yell0w sweater and ... thick tweed skirt.
Only ... champagne was served at1 ... ball.
9.... huge Saturday night sadness descended upon Laura. ІО.Не might at least have ... decency not to read ... letter now. 11.Dancing, ... girls banged into each other and stamped on each
other's feet. ... girl who was ... gentleman always clutched
you so.
12. "It is ... funny thing, but every time I dance with you ... dances seem very short." "They are. My fiancee is ... leader of ... orchestra."
13.He was ... only living relative I had, and when I was ... kid I'd lived with him. He'd worked as ... fireman on ... railroad.
14. It was ... simple statement of ... fact, but there was ... certain wistfulness behind it. My wife did not hear ... wistfulness.
15.He came in with ... three cups of ... black coffee.
16.Schumann was ... composer he liked best.
17.He had ... series of ... landscapes of Tibet by ... Russian painter Nicholas Roerich.
18.She had ... mature distrust of ... trivial.
19.1 felt ... elation I used to feel when I heard ... front door open.
20 things aren't going too smoothly.
21.1 noticed ... Baron take ... three lumps of ... sugar, putting two in his cup and wrapping ... third in ... corner of his handkerchief.
22.1 know practically nothing about ... criminal law.
23 floor was carpeted from ... wall to ... wall.
24.Margaret was standing against ... wall with ... unlighted cigarette between her lips.
25.Everything in ... room was covered in ... drifts of white. It was ... torn paper.
26.Now he seemed to be chatty and talked to ... jury as ... man to ... man.
27. London is full of ... people from all ... parts of the world
during the summer. 28.I've no doubt it will give ... immense satisfaction.
%9.Не knows a great deal about ... ancient Greek sculpture.
gO.He turned ... pages over, observing how consistently each story was used to appeal to ... regrettable in ... reader.
ЗІ.Не had ... charm that was irresistible. ... children doted on him, and he would play with them and tell them ... stories.
32.He had not very much pity for ... weakness, but he had for ... suffering, for it was, he knew, ... strong who suffered.
33. "Your father used to make ... planes for ... Nazis, I'm told," ... chief remarked with ... studied casualness.
34.He entertained with ... magnificence that never overstepped ... bounds of ... good taste.
35.She'd been to Oxford and she'd taken her degree in ... economics.
36. ... correctness was ... quality he most valued: ... correctness of ... machine, ... correctness of ... report.
Ex. 29. Explain the use of articles with nouns denoting parts of the day:
It was almost noon.
"Lewis! What are you doing at this time of night?" I heard the well-known voice. N
3.1 sat all night reading.
On the evening of the departure the whole village turned out to give us the promised farewell dinner.
He used to spend the morning lying about the beach.
Toward midnight he saw the gleam of many lights.
It was high noon when I woke.
Twilight was falling when they came back to the great city.
At ten o'clock on a hot September evening he strolled idly down the street.
And in the afternoon I used to lie alone, and watch the sun get lower and lower.
He always slept late on Sunday morning.
12. It was not a warm afternoon. 13.1 made my speech yesterday night. 14.The day was hot and muggy.
Ex. 30. Supply the required articles, paying special attention to the nouns indicating parts of the day:
1 - It was nearly ... midnight, and Margaret rose to go.
2. It was ... early morning when ... train pulled into ... station.
Outside was ... cold, drizzling twilight.
It was ... Saturday morning, and ... weekend guests were coming.
It was ... grey, cold day. By ... nightfall, it would rain.
We got back to ... inn as ... night was falling.
7.1 paid my first visit to them on ... clear cold February night,
8. Martha's talent for sleeping was extraordinary. If nobody went in to awaken her in ... morning she would sleep till noon, till two o'clock in ... afternoon, even if she had gone to bed early ... evening before.
9. Charles was in a hurry to get back home by ... midnight. 10. Towards ... evening he called at their house, but found no one
at home.
11.On ... Sunday morning ... weather was showery. 12 last evening the sirens went again.
13.She hastened out of ... house and to ... barn. ... evening was coming on.
All ... night ... snow fell.
Each day, coming to ... office, I looked forward to ... evening. 16.It was ... late afternoon and their shadows lay long across ...
road.
17.It was ... summer afternoon, ... last day of the Bar final examination.
18 evening flowed on. I sat working in ... late summer twi- light.
19. As he drove me home through ... June dusk, James suddenly
told me that he had left his wife. 20.He pulled aside each curtain to make sure that ... window
behind it was latched for ... night. 21.His secretary said that Kevin was free in ... evening. 22 day passed quietly.
23.Robert decided to kill a great many birds with one stone by spending ... night in London.
24 night was still, and almost tepid.
25.... couple next door wouldn't leave until ... morning.
26. They played tennis and ping-pong in ... day, and in ... evening, in accordance with ... stiff routine of ... place, they sat down to poker.
27.Surely nothing could be going on there so late at ... night. 28. He let me sit up ... night with him and give him ... things to
stop ... pain. 29.It was ... night, but ... street was brightly lit.
gx. 31. Revision: supply the required articles:
l.He was ... son of ... distinguished soldier. He was given ... first-class education.
2. My brother takes ... affair with ... utmost seriousness.
3.1t was ... blazing hot August morning and I tried to beg myself off.
4.1 was surprised at ... readiness with which she agreed to my suggestion.
5.... only persons present were Mrs Perger and ... old friend of ...
family, ... Colonel Legrand, ... army doctor who had been ...
brother officer of ... Robert's father. 6. She looked at me with her keen eyes: "You're not ... sort of ...
boy to be satisfied, are you?" 7.... evening was falling, and as I turned back towards ... house
its upper windows shone like blazing shields in the last of ...
sunlight.
His wife, ... pretty little thing, was ... actress for ... moment out of ... job.
It was ... wet, warm summer day and ... windows of ... drawing-room stood open.
0."I suppose," he said, "you are ... young man who wants to come here as ... pupil, aren't you?"
1. My father's hours became more irregular; sometimes he stayed in ... house in ... morning and sometimes both he and my mother were out all ... day.
2.As ... students would do, we had ... interminable conversations about ... art and ... literature. 13.Grant took up ... receiver with ... eagerness of which he was not conscious.
14.In ... morning, grey and dark, we sat over our breakfast.
15.Robie examined his father with ... dispassionate attention he gave everything.
16.He then went to Hamburg where ... friend of his was ... manager of the theatre.
17.They ran from ... room to ... room examining them with ... curiosity of ... children.
18.It was a little after seven on ... summer morning.
19.1 have ... great admiration for him.
20. ГЦ tell you all about it ... tomorrow night.
2l.He got up and soaked ... tea towel with ... cold water and put
280
Art*les
it on ... man's face. ... man brushed it off, but it had had reviving effect.
22. We spent ... next three hours talking and drinking ... coffee. then I had to hurry off to catch ... last bus. I missed it by few minutes, and had ... five-mile walk back home. I didn't mind this; it was ... cold; starry night, and ... air sometimes had ... sweet smell — as if, I thought, it blew from ... 1Ce, cream factory.
Ex. 32. Explain the use of articles with nouns denoting seasons:
The year wore on and it was summer.
The winter was coming on.
It was a warm and glowing autumn, and she lay in the mellow sunshine.
4.1 think the country in winter would be horrible, don't you?
The summer was here with its bright, short nights.
People realized that winter must come sooner or later, and were determined to make the most of the sun while it lasted.
"It has been a terrible summer," he said.
He cleaned the barn for the winter.
Through the autumn, a busy time for me, I was often uneasy.
It was late summer.
In March came the first break in the winter.
We had a short summer this year.
To walk in the garden and watch the spring returning was like rediscovering the world.
Later when it grew warmer and the sun seemed as hot as in summer, she would go out into the garden.
She went to Scotland for the summer.
Ex. 33. Supply the required articles for nouns in the following sentences, paying special attention to denoting seasons:
l.We used ... cottage for ... week-ends in ... summer.
It was ... first day of ... summer.
Quite early in ... autumn he began visiting us two or three times each week.
As ... autumn passed, I saw ... good deal of Charles and Ann together.
It was ... remarkably fine autumn.
6. He walked along ... streets smelling ... spring in ... air. 7.... spring had come early that year.
8.1 saw him before he went down to ... Mr Bell's country house
for ... summer. 9. It was ... brilliant summer of 1971.
jO. During ... winter I had heard a rumour that she was abroad. ll.They must have met in ... summer.
12. He felt more at home in ... winter than in ... summer because in ... winter there were ... firelights and ... drawn curtains and one's own company.
13 summer faded gloomily into ... autumn.
14.In ... autumn young Ben was to go away to a prep school and my job would be ended.
15 winter passed.
16.He went duck-shooting with the locals in ... autumn and trout
fishing with Mr Clark in ... spring. 17.1 expect I shall loathe Manchester. However, I shall not be
there long. I'm off to school in ... autumn. 18.It was ... summer and ... place broke out in ... red flowers. 19. "Can't you wait until ... winter?" Sam asked. 20— winter had now settled into ... bright cold days and ... hard
cold nights.
Ex. 34. Revision: supply the required articles: l.They watched him in ... nervous silence.
2.... winter set in early and unexpectedly with ... heavy fall of ... snow.
It was ... dark night, with no moon.
It gave me ... intense satisfaction that they all enjoyed my article.
He went out shooting every morning in ... autumn.
In ... morning when he awoke, he found his breath frozen on ... blanket.
Because he had succeeded in bearing ... unbearable he was not ... man he had been ... year ago.
He soon learned that Grey was ... head of ... department.
Then ... spring came, late, cold and rainy.
paid my first visit to his house on ... clear February night. *1— expedition started in ... autumn of 1967.
12.In ... garden there was ... patch of ... longish grass, bordered by ... flower-bed, and some raspberry canes; I was specially fond of ... trees — ... three pear trees by ... side wall and two apple trees in ... middle of ... grass.
13 letter began so tritely as though ... surgeon Dr. Larry
Skeen were still ... small boy writing home from ... vacation camp.
14 magnificent spring afternoon was already deepening into
... dusk.
15.In ... winter this region is deep with ... snow. 16.He was ... bachelor with ... small income. 17.Isn't it nice that ... winter is behind us? 18.It was nearly ... sundown.
19.They had better finish ... work before ... winter.
20.In ... moment he was quiet again and ... stillness of ... room became oppressive.
21 house must be cold in ... winter.
22.Philip called at our house on ... Tuesday afternoon.
23.Tom was trembling from ... head to ... foot with ... excitement.
24. We lay lazily, looking through ... reeds at ... glassy water. I stretched to pluck ... blade of ... grass. ... turf was rough and warm beneath my knees.
Ex. 35. Explain the use of articles with nouns denoting meals:
Lunch was ready and we went in.
I'm sorry I can't offer you dinner. З.Г11 try to give you a decent lunch.
Mother told me to go out and buy some eggs for lunch.
After a light lunch everyone relaxed for a time.
He ordered a modest dinner.
On the evening of departure the whole village turned out to give us the promised farewell dinner.
8.1 arranged to give a lunch for them.
9.1 was having tea with her. 10.1 want you to have a nice breakfast. 11. We were talking about it before dinner.
12.1 was on my way to make final arrangements about a dinner 1 was giving that evening.
j3. It did not take one very long to have dinner in 1943. There
wasn't enough of the dinner. j4. Charles and I were alone at lunch.
gx. 36. Supply the required articles, paying special attention to the nouns denoting meals:
1.... substantial tea was laid on ... table.
2.... invitations to ... dinner for sixteen people were sent out. З.Не said he would have ... very good dinner on ... train.
Hudson talked more during ... dinner than was usual with him.
So after I had finished ... supper I came back along ... passage to ... empty dark front room.
"Nevil is coming to ... dinner," she added.
She intended to have ... glorious supper for my sake.
He was afraid he would be late for ... lunch.
But now and then Maude prepared ... dinner for him in ... apartment.
10 lunch was finished and soon I left.
11.She had been smoking incessantly since they finished ... supper.
12 tea came in almost at once.
13. She made ... long telephone call from ... lobby and ate ... quick lunch.
14.If he were kept late at ... official dinner she would work her- '
self into ... fever of ... apprehension. 15 tea tasted of ... straw.
16. He was giving ... big lunch on ... following day And at ... end
of ... week ... grand dinner. 17— tea was over.
18.1 found her in ... kitchen, peeling ... potatoes for ... lunch.
19.But ... hot bath and ... good dinner fixed him up.
20.She smelled strongly of ... scent, but not so strongly as to
disguise ... fact that she had eaten at ... dinner ... dish highly
flavoured with ... garlic. 21."For ... lunch," she said, "we could have ... cold meat, ... tea,
... bread and butter, and ... jam." 22.1 parked in front of ... restaurant near ... road and went in for
... cold lunch.
23." ... dinner will be ready in ... few minutes," she said.
284
Artlcles
24.Mr Morley was not in ... best of tempers at ... breakfast. це complained of ... bacon and wondered why ... coffee had to have ... appearance of ... liquid mud. Mr Morley was ... smaij man with ... decided jaw. His sister who kept house for him was ... large woman. She eyed her brother thoughtfully ari(j asked whether ... bath water had been cold again. When Mr Morley expressed himself fully on ... point, he had ... second cup of ... despised coffee.
Ex. 37. Supply the required articles, paying special attention to the nouns denoting diseases:
l.My daughter's children went down with ... chicken-pox.
She suffered from ... bronchitis.
Sheila who had recovered from ... measles was also there.
She had been absent less than ... week when ... operation for ... appendicitis was performed on her.
"Were you sick?" "I had ... fever."
6.1 am suffering from ... malaria and I am sure you don't know
what it feels like when ... fever comes on. 7.... boy sat upright against ... two pink pillows; ... mumps had
not noticeably increased ... fatness of his face.
"You've lost so much weight and your colour has changed." "I had ... jaundice," Dan said shortly.
Mr March always expressed ... gloomy concern if any one of his children had ... sore throat.
10.He was laid up with ... flu and did not let us know about it. 11. My father had ... asthma and ... climate of London always left
him a little forlorn in ... morning. 12.Finally I came down with ... pneumonia. My mother took me
home to nurse me. While I was getting over ... pneumonia I
decided what I was going to do. 13. "Your hair is short and curly." "I had ... scarlet fever and it
had to be cut."
14.That day I happened to have ... grippe and didn't know it. 15.In January I had ... diphtheria, with ... complications.
Ex. 38. Supply the required articles, paying special attention to the nouns bed, table, school, hospital, prison, church and town:
a)
l.Then he carefully placed ... money on ... bed.
л
2.They were discussing it after ... supper, when ... children were in ... bed.
3.... room was in ... darkness. I dimly perceived ... bed in ... corner.
4.... doctor shrugged his shoulders and sat down beside ... bed.
He would pile ... journals and ... newspapers, ... books and ... pamphlets on ... bed, ... table and ... spare chairs.
When he finished at ... midnight, too exhausted to read any further, he went to ... bed.
7.... bed itself was wide and high.
8. His aunt urged that he should be sent to ... bed on the spot. 9.1 turned toward my own room where I assumed ... bed would
have been made up for me. 10. He worked hard and often got out of ... bed at... night to make
sure that he had written ... point down. 11.1 swung my feet off ... bed.
12.He was playing with ... dog's ears who had established himself by ... bed. 13.In ... few minutes she went to ... bed. 14.1 pushed off ... bedclothes and sat on ... side of ... bed.
b)
1. She sat down beside ... table and began clipping ... stalks of
... flowers and arranging them in ... vase. 2.He would not argue with ... guest at ... table. 3.We sat at ... kitchen table talking about ... things. 4. Tom, who was reading at ... small table near him, looked up. 5.There used to be ... table near the window.
c)
Mr Peck came in. He taught us ... algebra and ... geometry; he was ... man about fifty-five who had spent his whole life at ... school.
This talk went on throughout ... drive back to ... school.
Paula taught Greek and Latin at ... local school.
In fact, though clever, he was idle at ... school and far from bookish.
5.... fees at ... secondary school were ... three guineas ... term.
In ... morning I went as usual to ... school.
He went to ... school to speak to ... head-master about his son.
At ... odd moments he glanced back on those wonderful two weeks before ... school began.
He's in ... hospital with ... couple of ... ribs and ... shoulder cracked.
He lives in one wing of ... house, and has turned the rest іщ0 ... hospital.
After ... lunch Dr. Raily went off to ... hospital.
She had met his father when he was captured and brought to ... Austrian hospital where she was ... nurse in ... first World War.
He told us that ... man had been gored by ... bull and was ir ... hospital.
She told me that for ... while she had worked in ... hospital
On ... day he was due to attend ... hospital she secretly phonec his doctor.
They had ... hospital in ... town during ... war.
9.... Dan's scratched face became inflamed and poisoned and hi went down with ... high fever and was carried off to ... hospi tal where he lies at present. 10.Doctor Huger is ... best man for you but he's at ... hospita. doing ... emergency operation.
He is in ... hospital and his condition is reported as being serious.
My mother admitted that ... hospital to which Uncle Nick had been taken was ... lunatic asylum.
13.He was in ... hospital for ... few weeks, and came back more moody than ever.
e)
St. Peter's is ... church often chosen by ... fashionable people for ... funerals and ... weddings.
They stood for ... moment, then all together slowly moved towards ... church.
3."Do you go to ... church?" "Occasionally."
4.1 could see from ... car ... church on ... sharply rising slope.
About half past ten ... cracked bell of ... small church began to ring.
They rode in ... silence for ... moment, ... church disappearing behind them.
"Bertie," she said to my father, "I shall go to ... church this morning."
She was dressed for ... church.
I'll drive you to ... town this morning.
We decided to spend ... summer in ... sea-side town. 3.They lived in ... same part of ... town.
4.... town was not large enough for one to stay anonymous. 5. When will you drive back to ... town?
g.Blairhill was ... ancient town with ... winding alleys and ...
old marketplace. 7.1 walked with him through ... town.
8.I'm afraid you can't see Father today; he's out of ... town. 9. My Aunt Milly was well known all over ... town.
Ex. 39. Supply the required articles, paying special attention to phraseological combinations:
l.We sent ... results of ... vote by ... letter.
He went to ... rotten log near at ... hand and began to dig under one end of it with his knife.
It was ... holiday, and no games on ... account of ... rain.
So I thought we would have ... good dinner and go to ... ballet.
His father had crept several times on ... tiptoe into ... room to see if he was stirring.
And on ... top of all that he had ... quarrel with his wife.
Let's go by ... underground.
On ... consideration I am not so sure you're right.
9. He took one of ... books at ... random. 10.He opposed my plan on ... principle. П.I came across ... book by ... chance.
12.I'll make ... inventory of what we have on ... hand.
13.After she had ... leisurely dinner downstairs Julia played ...
piano for ... while. 14.There was nothing to be said in ... answer to such ... bitter
accusations.
15.His name was mentioned in ... connection with ... ping-pong championship.
16.He spent part of ... afternoon telling them ... news he could
not tell them by ... telephone. 17— little car in ... question now stood outside ... front door. 18.He knew Marion Sharpe by ... sight as he knew everyone in
Milford.
l9.He asked ... man what was his idea with ... regard to ... best means for accomplishing his plan.
20.On ... examination ... object turned out to be ... page torr from ... book.
21 transport must come by ... sea to Plymouth.
22.1 broke my spectacles by ... accident and then found I didn't really need them.
23.He was so uneasy that his presence was out of ... question.
24. "Are you ... bad sailor?" she asked quickly. "About as bad as is possible, in ... spite of having been at ... sea so much."
25.They are at ... sea now. They write that they are having marvellous time.
26. Anna and her husband went out after ... tea to play ... cards and took their baby, though Eugene said it would get... pneumonia.
27.She went by ... coach, because it was cheaper.
28. Before long I reached several conclusions in ... relation to my
unknown friend. 29.He tore open ... parcel that came for him by ... post. 30.He then went down to ... dinner, and ordered ... whole bottle
of ... claret in ... honour of ... event. 31.They followed him through ... slight drizzle to ... garage. ...
few men were sitting at ... table, playing ... cards, and ... girl
was curled up on ... couch reading ... paperback book.
Ex. 40. Revision: supply the required articles:
There was ... empty bottle by ... side of ... bed, which had contained ... milk, and in ... piece of ... newspaper ... few crumbs.
He went to ... tiny kitchen, where he knew his way around, and put ... kettle of ... water on ... stove. He poured ... milk into ... jug from ... carton in ... refrigerator, then drank some milk himself before putting ... carton back.
3.... school was ... pride of ... town. It was made of ... brick. 4.... driver was ... broad red-faced man who looked like ... captain of ... liner.
When he was in ... hospital she could not get ... permission to visit him.
We had ... thin soup, ... lamb cutlets coated in ... breadcrumbs, and ... French-fried potatoes.
It was with ... greatest difficulty that Brian had persuaded him to join ... Fabians.
8.... boy Roger sprawled on ... mat nearest to ... door.
9. He rattled on, telling ... anecdote after ... anecdote. jO.AH through ... afternoon he had been torn by ... sorrow his
brother did not know. ц.Нег face had ... hardness of ... face on ... coin. 12.Don't be ... liar enough to say that you like it. l3.She spoke of ... cars with ... lyrical intensity that ... other
people gave to ... spring, or ... first snow drop. 14.I understand ... irony in your voice. 15.I have to go up to ... town on Tuesday to see ... man. 16.1 did not mean to say it. It came out by ... accident. 17. Then he came to Win ton to do ... research for ... year. 18.Outside ... church we met several neighbours. 19.He found himself ... face to ... face with ... Lieutenant Evans. 20. When ... news came that France had mobilized, and that ...
Germans had crossed ... Belgian frontier, George abandoned
all ... hope immediately. 21.Fortunately we have ... time to decide since there are ... two
months of ... wet winter left us and nobody will bother us
until ... spring.
22.It was impossible to say how ... things were going on on ... beach.
23. Francis Chadwick was ... tallish good-looking woman, ... natural blonde with ... clothes and ... figure of ... girl who had "modelled" ... clothes.
24.He became ... secretary of ... society he founded.
25— iron is ... bread of ... industry; ... nickel is ... meat.
26.It was ... cheerful place in which to pass ... wet March afternoon.
27.He was in his late seventies, confined to ... wheel-chair, but
radiating ... tremendous self-confidence. 28.1 was ... qualified radio technician in ... civilian life. 29.They went out and saw that ... dawn was breaking. 30.He took him for ... ride at ... twilight.
31— odd feeling of ... curiosity stirred him, and he crossed over. 32.She was ... daughter of ... clergyman. 33.Buy me ... ice, please.
34. Marcel, ... fat man who runs ... place we were at ... last night, introduced me to ... two men there.
35.If she could feel ... hunger and ... thirst, ... heat and ... cold, then she could feel ... love and ... love for ... man. Well, he was ... man. And why could he not be ... man?